Love in the Strangest Places
by Myhoniahaka
Summary: In a world where shapeshifters are studied, Naruto works to free all in captivity and take the rights humans stole from them. But his next job brings him closer to danger than ever before, and he falls for a man he shouldn't. Meanwhile, Sasuke tries to figure out what's wrong with his new lab assistant. SasuNaruSasu.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

Naruto fumbled with his coffee, peering around the corner. Ichiraku's café had quickly become his favorite in Japan. No one of importance ever came by, which made his job more difficult than usual. But it was nothing he couldn't handle. It was a broken down cafe, one with cheap food and a place where poor folk gathered. No one of real money ever came in.

Until today, when multibillionaire and owner of the most influential company in the world waltzed through Ichiraku's doors.

Naruto had been in Japan for a couple of days, and he still hadn't had the chance to even get close to anyone from Uchiha corporations. The council expected him to have the job done within the month. Karin was against moving here, but being the sister she was, had obliged even when Naruto told her she didn't need to come with him.

It was too convenient. Fugaku must have had some motive for entering Ichiraku's. Multibillionaires don't just walk into an old, broken down café made for the poor. Especially this man. From the research Naruto had done, Fugaku Uchiha never went anywhere near people or places who didn't have at least a million yen.

Naruto licked his lips. Coincidence or not, this was a chance he couldn't pass up. He straightened his clothes, taking a deep breath. This was by far the hardest job the council had ever given him. Not only because Japan was a country no shifter wanted to end up, but because he'd have to infiltrate the company that created The Cage.

The pay was worth it though. When the job was done and they'd gone back to the states, the cash they'd make would set them into early retirement. They could stay in one place and live their lives without the council.

Once the job was done.

He seated himself across from Fugaku, who merely sipped his drink and browsed the menu. Naruto shivered, suddenly understanding why Karin was so against him accepting this job. He never understood danger until he was face to face with it, and here, in front of a man whose career invested in the murder of shapeshifters, danger was the only presence.

 _For early retirement. For a new life._

"Hi, I'm Liam Avera, a huge fan of your work."

What does one say to a man who murders your kind to near extinction?

"I tried applying for Uchiha corporations a week ago, but your website went haywire and I can't figure out how to make it work. I tried going to a few tech wizards for help, but none of them could fix the problem. So, I tried walking into your building and asking for an application. But that requires security I don't have. Since you the owner of the corporation, I thought maybe you might know what I can do?"

Fugaku stared at him, sipping his coffee. Naruto swallowed. None of his previous jobs required interacting with multi-billionaire's dead set on killing him before. But that was why the job was such a high pay. Not even the damn council could deny this job was worth every penny they offered.

"You understand that only the best gets hired into my corporation, correct? You hardly look like you know anything about shapeshifters."

"I majored in shapeshifter psychology and since then have participated in many different shapeshifter experiments. I would have brought the paperwork with me as proof. But I had no idea you'd be here today."

The paperwork was extracted off of some dead woman's accomplishments. The council hacked into a woman's life and put his name down for her less known but important experiments. They'd changed the end result and a few variables to make the experiment seem new and original. The council seemed fairly certain the paperwork would go through. But Naruto knew nothing of Uchiha's security, and had no way of knowing if the council's confidence was mere arrogance.

If this job failed, then he was dead. But if it succeeded, he and Karin could finally go home. Whether it was worth it, he still wasn't sure. But Karin should be left out of everything. So, if he failed and died, she would still live and acquire some of the money.

"Bring the paperwork to the corporation tomorrow morning. I'll have an application ready for you." Fugaku said.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. Just getting the chance to work with you is—"

"Avera-san, we do not tolerate excitable monologues."

Naruto frowned. "Right, sorry. I don't usually get so worked up. I promise that if I'm you hire me, I'll never monologue."

Uncertain about his next move, Naruto remained seated across from Fugaku, trying to ignore the way his eyebrow rose and how his hands clenched the menu. The first step of this job was nearly done. Once he had that application and got hired, step two would unfold.

"How long do you plan on sitting there?"

"I was just leaving."

Slipping into other people's good sides was never difficult for Naruto. He always managed to get a feel of another person based on the first encounter, and from there, he simply charmed his way through. He anticipated this job being difficult because of The Cage and the place of infiltration. But charming multibillionaire killers? That was a skill Naruto was unequipped for.

Standing up from the chair, he paid his bill and left the café. It was doubtful Fugaku would meet him in person tomorrow. But all he really needed was the application and he'd be considered. The council was confident he'd get hired, and Naruto took it in stride. Karin had her doubts though. Not only about his job application, but about the environment.

He'd be working for the people who stuff shapeshifters into The Cage, after all. If Karin didn't worry, Naruto would've turned down this job and sent her to therapy.

Their apartment was on the outskirts of Japan, with a magnificent ocean view. The council paid for it all. The flight, the apartment. They even gave him a few extra thousand yen for food, transportation, or whatever else they might need. That only proved how much they wanted this job to be a success. The fact that they'd chosen Naruto for it…

He shook his head. The council probably sent dozens of other shifters on this same job. Either that, or they hired shifters to watch him and ensure his success. Either way, he did not have a special spot on the council, and had no reason to believe they'd chosen him for his actual skills.

He took the subway home. At some point, he'd have to give the bullet train a ride. But it was too damn expensive and the only possible way he could use the council's money on the train was if someone was chasing him down and he needed easy transport.

Which was, unfortunately, a definite possibility.

He took a deep breath, holding onto the metal bar as the subway took off. It was too late to turn back now. Either finish the mission or be trapped with the council for life. Two bad options. Only his success in this mission could give them a third option. Until then, he'd have to grow used to being in the presence of murderous bastards.

Karin was at the dining table when he walked in. Something bloody and raw sat on their kitchen table, staining Naruto's fancy plate. He didn't mind that however, so long as Karin washed it when she was done.

"What is that?" He said. It smelt heavily of decay. Its head was missing, no doubt eaten already. And its abdomen was gaping open. The heart was sprawled inside a bowl of blood. Naruto breathed in the smell of a successful hunt. It had been so long since he'd had time to hunt himself, but coming home to a raw creature or ripe berries always lightened his mood.

"I'm not sure. I found it wandering near the ocean and thought we could try something new. I also bought a few fruits if you want. But I recommend eating this creature before I finish it all."

"That good, huh? It's bigger than our usual meals."

Her hands and face were dripping with blood. Some shredded bones still hung into her fingernails. Naruto smiled, seating himself beside her and digging in. She already ate most of it, as she should, being the one who made the kill.

"Get this." Naruto said, "Fugaku Uchiha was eating at Ichiraku's today. I spoke to him, and he's just as intolerable as we predicted."

The leg she'd been holding clattered on the table, leaving a spillage of guts she'd be cleaning later. Her shoulders recoiled, and body froze like stone. Naruto buried his hand into the stomach of this creature, ripping out an organ and biting into it. She was right. This creature _was_ good. If only she hadn't eaten the head. That had always been his favorite part of any animal.

Maybe that was why she ate it.

"You _met_ him? We've only been here for a couple days. What were you thinking? You can't be meeting your job this early on. Oh god, what if he suspects something? I bet that's why he was there. He _knows_ something. He's a killer and he knows it. For someone to just walk up to him… he'll suspect you. I bet he already does and—"

"Correction: Anyone who walks up to a human killer with the knowledge they are a killer is suspicious. Fugaku only kills shapeshifters, and the world is in full support of him."

Karin's job was that of a bounty hunter. It didn't matter if they were a shapeshifter or a human. If they committed a crime, they were hers. Naruto and she came in pairs. Where one went, the other came. The council always managed to find work for both of them in the same city, so neither had to worry about separation.

The problem was how differently they worked. Naruto's job required more calculating than Karin's. Not only as an infiltrator, but a thief and spy. He had to eavesdrop and break in without getting caught, and get out before the alarms went off.

Karin's job was far more simple. Track, stalk, and attack. It wasn't easy, but it was simpler. However, hers was far more dangerous than his. While his required more calculating, hers required more fighting. One wrong move on her part and she was dead. One wrong move on his and he was in The Cage.

"Stalking before fighting. How many times do I need to tell you for you to understand. _Always_ stalk before a fight. Only idiots fight before they stalk."

"I needed to take initiative, Karin. This job is tougher than the others and—"

"Which is why you need to stalk your prey. We're in _Japan,_ Naruto. _Japan._ The Cage is here. Any mistake on this job lands us in The Cage. You can't act impulsive and just walk up to a man who kills us. That's insane. Madness. This job will take more time than—"

"It's _my_ job. I'll handle it _my_ way."

She was a bounty hunter. He was a spy. She didn't understand why he never stalked his prey, and he never understood why she did. They usually avoided work arguments for that reason. But with The Cage just around the corner, both their nerves were set aflame. It was only natural, he supposed, that they'd end up fighting about The Cage when danger loomed so close.

"You're going to clean this, right?" Karin asked.

"House rule number three: Whoever makes the mess cleans the mess."

There was so much blood on the table it was a wonder they had anything left. But there was still plenty of meat leftover. They'd have to refrigerate it, and tomorrow neither one will need to hunt.

She huffed but settled down and finished her meal. "Maybe next time we could buy raw meat from the store. It won't taste the same, but it won't make a mess." She said, then headed off to her room. Naruto gazed at the bloody mess before him. Sighing, he grabbed a towel and began to clean it.

If The Cage was a common topic between them on this job, they needed to understand each other's work methods to avoid more arguments.

* * *

 **Author's note:** I had this idea a year ago. I wrote an entire outline and everything, but couldn't find the words to write what I wanted this story to be. I'm giving it another shot now, and hope people will enjoy it.


	2. Chapter 2

"Fascinating." Sasuke said, staring at the woman—no shifter—behind glass walls. Her dark hair cascaded in tangled waves across the muddied ground, fooling a person into thinking her hair was brown, not red as her file depicted. Her face was hollow, devoid of any flesh that might have made her beautiful. Her bones jutted out from swollen flesh, and she wore the rags Subaku corporation provided.

"Are you the only one of your species?" There were hardly any foxes in Japan, but thousands in the world. It was unlikely she was the only one left, and it would take simple interrogation to get answers out of her.

"Go to hell." She said, mouth curving into scowl. "You deserve to burn."

She shoved herself forward, arms falling behind with the chains around her wrist. Her face morphed into one of agony as a scream pierced the air. The chains rattled with her effort, drawing blood as the metal pierced her skin. Sasuke stepped back, wiping the sweat from his brow before the cameras could pick up on it.

"Entertaining display. What else can you do?" He said. She'd stayed in human form for nearly ten years. An oddity that needed more studies. Most shifters couldn't go one day without changing. Unless Subaku corporations lied to him, and they knew more about this species than they said. He would find out by the end of the day is she truly never shifted.

Itachi would have had results by now.

His chest grew into an agonizing burn. Anger was an emotion he was well in tune with. He ground his teeth together, gnawing on what little love still remained for his brother. The fox quirked a brow, no doubt studying his actions, seeing anger flash and finding the perfect opportunity.

"Something wrong?" She said.

Months ago, Itachi discovered a wolf shifter, and by the end of the day, the wolf had told him where others were, how many were left, and their abilities. Sasuke had been interrogating this fox for a week, and he was no closer to answers than he had been on day one.

He felt a scream lodge in his throat. Swallowing it, he took deep breaths, calming himself before looking at the fox once more. Itachi was watching him behind the laboratory camera. His brother could see every emotion play on Sasuke's face, every thought going through his mind. Sasuke could imagine the disappointment in Itachi's eyes, and that disappointment would fall into his parent's eyes, and soon, the world would be disappointed. All because Sasuke was incapable of one job.

"Shift." He said. Foxes were bugs compared to wolves. This fox, this vixen, wouldn't last long in The Cage when she was placed there. But he needed answers first, facts that could lead them to a new species. Failure wasn't an option. Not in his father's eyes, not in his mother's eyes, and not in Itachi's eyes.

She didn't shift. So, he ordered her again and again and again.

Her green eyes were pebbles among rocks, small and weak. She stared at him, an unwavering frown in place, no fear, no tears. She sat there, silently watching him, studying him as he studied her.

Torture was often used when a shifter acted resilient. There were controls in place so the experimenter wouldn't need to touch the shifter. Sasuke had yet to use them, but recalled how effective they were as Itachi interrogated the wolf.

One button for a world of discoveries.

He walked over the controls, hand hovering over a button labeled 'broken bone.' Just one press and he was one step closer to appreciation from his family. One broken bone and his name was all over the world.

A new species of shapeshifters. His family would finally see his worth.

He pressed down, and heard the clanking metal before clouding the noise by covering his ears. He clenched his eyes shut when it failed to muffle the sound of a breaking bone, and waited for the scream they all made.

It never came.

He cracked an eye open, lowering his hands when he finally noticed the silence of the laboratory. Her arm was purple and black, positioned in angle that suggested a clear break. Blood trailed down her lip. She looked no worse than she did before the broken bone, except now her arm was swelling and chin was cloaked in red.

Sasuke pounded his hands into the controls, face growing hot and pulse growing louder. Dammit. He wanted results, not resilience. This damn fox was blocking his path to success, blocking his path to his family's appreciation.

Maybe Itachi's wolf wasn't resilient like this fox. Time may be needed, but someday soon, he'd have everything he'd ever strived for.

"You're pathetic." She said. "I hope you rot in regret."

Nothing. No shift, no answers. He hadn't time to bother with more questions, not when there was a new lab assistant he needed to fire. He'd make her sit in solitude instead, slowly antagonizing her from the inside out. Sooner or later, she was going to break.

* * *

"Is staring your specialty?" Sasuke said. He had left direct instructions explaining that he needed a tooth analyzed and tested. He'd hoped his lab assistant would have the job done before he arrived upon his visit with the fox. But rather than working, his lab assistant was staring at the equipment, poking it on occasion.

"Did you read my resume? I never said I knew how to use these… things."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. All the lab assistants his father hired were the same, each one more incompetent than the last. He stopped looking over the resume's and simply gave new employees jobs as he saw fit until there was a reasonable excuse for his father to fire them.

"Do you at least know what it is?" Sasuke asked. Given the last lab assistantsFugaku hired, he wouldn't be surprised if this one was a full-blown idiot without a brain. The last one flirted nonstop, even after he'd filed a complaint. His father insisted she was the best for the job, yet she never got anything done.

His lab assistant turned to him, anger lacing his eyes. _Typical high tempered idiot._ Sasuke readied himself for the onslaught of excuses he'd be subjected to. Some lab assistants lashed out, others worshipped him. None ever got enough work done to be considered part of this corporation. His father had fired all the others, but continued hiring more and more.

Someday, there wouldn't be enough incompetence in the world his father could handle, and Sasuke would finally be free to work alone.

"I clearly stated in my resume that I specialize in animal behavior. That includes watching shapeshifters, taking notes of shapeshifters, and learning the behavior of the shapeshifters. Nowhere did I say I knew anything about these complex tools. If you want me to work on teeth and claws or whatnot, teach me before you assign it. Until then, I hope you give me jobs that I actually specialize in."

Sasuke blinked. Had anyone talked to him that way before? His parents, certainly, but never a stranger, let alone someone who worked for him. It was true Sasuke hadn't read this man's resume, but that gave him no excuse to talk down to Sasuke.

"Your resume said you specialize in the study of shapeshifters, including these _complex tools,_ and how to capture and handle a shapeshifter."

 _All my lab assistants excel in this. This one's lying._

"No. No. No. No. No. I specifically said I study the _behavior_ of shapeshifters, not the physical makeup of shapeshifters."

"Are you telling me that you understand, and can predict, the behavior of different shapeshifters?"

"That's what I just said. Did you read my resume at all?"

Perhaps there was some use to this lab assistant.


	3. Chapter 3

The wolf smelled the fox on him.

Naruto raised his head, sniffing the air for any familiarity. He'd known one wolf when he was a child, and had given up hope of ever seeing him again. But as his nostrils flared for his past companion, all he found was a stranger. A stranger that _knew_ Naruto was not supposed to be there. He stepped forward, watching as the wolf's tongue slicked over its mouth. Naruto was a meal to it, not a person, not a shifter, but an animal.

"You really don't believe I can do this, do you?" Naruto said. He licked his own lips, wishing Sasuke wasn't watching his every move. The hairs on his neck spiked up. _Instinct._ He felt the pull to run course through his blood. A wolf was a fox's enemy, and after the last run in with a wolf, Naruto was reluctant to go near those teeth again.

"Not if you prove me wrong. I want to know why it refuses to shift into a human. Figure it out." Sasuke said. His eyes were blacker than the midnight sky, seeming almost an abyss. Naruto had thought him animal at first, but upon a thorough sniff, Naruto smelled only human.

"I can't learn anything if it just sits there." _Watching me like a mouse caught in a trap._ He was nothing more than a meal to this shifter, a pile of walking meat, made only to fall prey between its teeth and dissolve in its stomach. But it was also trapped within humanity, victim to a fate no one deserved. Naruto could not leave without this wolf, and he'd have to play his cards right to get it out.

"Then guess."

 _Do I get to run at all?_

"There could be a number of reasons. Wolves are predators. It could feel inferior in its human form. Or it feels stronger if it's predator sees it as a wolf."

"What predator?"

Sasuke had moved over beside Naruto, watching the wolf with anticipation rather than fear. How could he not know who the predator was? The wolf was chained and hungry, locked inside a lab for eternity if no one did something. It was prey to humankind, forever trapped behind glass and metal, with no tree or grass to roll over in, no freedom.

"You." Naruto said, "me, everyone who ever saw the wolf in chains is a predator."

He was prey to all wolves, but standing on the other side of glass, Naruto realized he too, was the predator. He was not a meal for a wolf, but the wolf a meal to him. Spy or not, he was an experimenter to this wolf. He could lie about his findings or evade the truth, but the wolf would see him as nothing more than a traitor.

On his first job, he'd nearly killed the experimenter, destroying his cover and proving the council right. He wasn't ready for the job then, but he was now that he had seen the same captivity with each job he was given. That anger had surged through his blood, boiling to the point that he was ready to kill. But time simmered that anger. He'd seen shifters in chains, failed to save their lives, and freed hundreds of them. And there was no fury residing within him now, only the acceptance that this was what happened to them, and someone needed to help.

"I never thought of it like that." Sasuke said.

Naruto pressed his hand to the glass, watching the wolfs nuzzle break apart and snap at him. It got no further than the glass, however, and Naruto wanted to reach down and pet it, to show that there was someone on its side. Once the job was finished, Naruto would have the chance to free it. Until then, he'd keep the numbness crawling through his veins.

"Few do. Anyways. It could just be a normal preference. Hundreds of shapeshifters live their lives as animal rather than human. This might be one of them."

Sasuke shrugged, watching him rather than the wolf. Naruto kept his eyes trained on the shifter. He'd be caught in a lie if he looked Sasuke in the eye. He'd been honest about the reasons for the lack of shifting, but lied a million times within the week. There was too much Sasuke didn't know—couldn't know—that Naruto had to create his own rules to give and hang onto them like a lifeline.

"How much do you know about shapeshifters?"

"A bit."

Too much to be honest about. He was a protector of shapeshifters, someone who freed them from captivity after satiating the council's hunger. He knew most every species there was, had befriended thousands over the years, and never once became victim to the council's wrath. But every lie he spewed was a step closer to his exposure. If Sasuke knew something, and Naruto gave a false answer, they'd know he wasn't who he said he was.

Or Sasuke would fire him for incompetence.

"None of my previous assistants could even think of a reason why it wouldn't shift."

"Then you must've had some bad assistants."

"True that. Finish the paperwork. I'll be right up."

"Yes, sir."

How long until they saw what he was? How long until they caught him in a lie? A cover only lasted so long, and Naruto had been exposed even after years of working these jobs. This was a powerful corporation, one with top notch security and eyes that watch your very move. Karin was right to be worried. Naruto had done everything right thus far, and saw no one suspecting anything. But if he was _too_ good, they'd know something was off, and if he wasn't good enough, they'd fire him. Two bad alternatives, neither an option.

Naruto had been working exceptionally well considering how limited he was to resources. Sasuke was hell-bent on ensuring he was capable before handing out any of the work Naruto had applied for. It made for a slow-going mission, but slow-going was better than a failure.

He flipped through pages of paperwork, writing down what was needed and ignoring what was not. Sasuke had yet to return even after hours of being gone. Naruto sighed, wishing he could get deeply involved with the shifters, if only to tell them they'd be out soon enough. The Cage was untouchable though. Even if he had the clearance to see what lied beyond the Cage, the council would reign fire on him before he got close.

 _Wouldn't it be worth it though? To get all shapeshifters out._

"I'm going on my lunch break. You coming?"

Naruto whipped his head around, mouth dropping as he recalled the last time Naruto offered Sasuke to lunch. "I eat alone." He had said, "and you're hardly worth it." For Sasuke, from what Naruto knew, lunch was a time for isolation from work, family, and friends. He had only been here a week, but Sasuke treated lunch as if it were heaven. And he always, _always,_ ate alone.

Even a homemade lunch was eaten in the seclusion of the break room.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"I have questions. You have answers. Hurry up."

"…Okay… Where are we eating?"

Naruto followed him out the building doors and into the streets. Sasuke never said a word, and Naruto wondered if he was being led to a trap. Karin did suspect that Fugaku knew _something,_ and that was why he was at the restaurant last week. The impossibility of that brought Naruto into a realm of denial, and only now did he consider the idea that Fugaku might know something, and by extension, Sasuke knew too.

 _Know what? We only just got here. I'm being paranoid._ Karin's _being paranoid._

"Me and my dad come here a lot. They have good food. Cheap too. Even you could afford it." Sasuke said.

They stopped before Ichiraku's, the restaurant where he had first met Fugaku. Karin was worried Fugaku had been there for a reason, that he knew something about them. But he was there to eat, and nothing more. Sasuke was probably meeting him there that day, and Karin had only overreacted.

They were so foolish, so paranoid.

"What questions did you have?" Naruto asked as the waitress seated them. "I can't answer everything, especially if you're as vague as you have been." He didn't want to mull over Karin's paranoia, his own paranoia. Sasuke's questions held answers Naruto couldn't answer without exploiting himself or other shifters. But he was going to ask whether Naruto was honest or not, and he wanted to get this over with.

"How do I make a shapeshifter shift from human to animal?"

"You can't. They either shift or they don't. It's their body. They choose what to do with it."

"There has to be some way. Torture worked on the wolf. I don't understand—" Sasuke raked a hand through his hair, pressing his fist against his forehead. He looked desperate, with impossibly wide eyes looking at Naruto as if he held the worlds answers. "You've studied shapeshifter psychology. You know a lot. What do you know about foxes?"

"Foxes?" The hairs on his neck rose, his back shuddering at the ice in his blood. He looked down at the menu, throat stealing his breath. "Hardly anything." He felt his heart pace, and slid a trembling finger across the table. Did Sasuke know? Was he set to fail before the mission began? "That doesn't seem relevant. There aren't any fox shifters, after all."

 _We're near extinct. The only reason you'd ask is if you had one in custody._

"You're not. I saw one in the States a couple months back. Got me curious, I guess."

 _Liar_.

"Maybe if you google it." Naruto said. In his mind's eye, he saw his claws rip into Sasuke's stomach, organs and blood spewing everywhere. He twisted his hand, digging deeper. The only monsters in this world were humans. They killed and captured, destroying both the guilty and innocent. And now humans had a fox. His blood, his family, his species.

"Google won't have the answer I need."

"Then find a fox specialist or something. Don't expect me to know." The desire to kill boiled over. He clenched his fists, feeling his own claws dig into his flesh. A mistake. This was a mission, and he was a spy, an actor. "Any other questions? I've got an arsenal of answers in my head. But only to the right questions." _Not the ones that can endanger my family._

His sister.

"Are you going to get indignant if I ask another one you can't answer?"

Sasuke was staring down at him, stoic to everything around, uncaring and cold. Arrogant. _Are you cold because you're evil?_ Sasuke thought himself God for hurting others, for discovering the things shifters refused to give them.

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked.

His blood seethed beneath his skin, calling him to action, scalding him. He needed to know what Sasuke knew, who sat behind glass, how many were in captivity. _This is my species._ He sniffed the air, lifting his head slightly to get a better angle. Sasuke's blood was healthy, no diseases contaminating the smell of iron. All it took was one strike for a disease so irreversible the heart stopped.

"Is there a safe way to handle a shapeshifter outside of a cage."

"Depends on what you do with them."

"Force it to shift."

His skin crawled. If they had one, why not more? Why not him? Karin? One mistake and it was over—they were over—he took a deep breath, willing his blood to cool, dared his mouth to spill nothing. He was a spy, an actor. He'd simmer until the time to kill came, and only then would he allow his anger to surge through his fingertips.

"You'll get hurt." Naruto said.

"Is there a safe way?"

"No."

Shapeshifters were like humans. They craved safety and security and socialization. They wanted trust and love. They sought happiness and felt despair. They were human and animal in one body, and their desires were love and friendship. They relied heavily on instincts, but had the common sense to ignore unreasonable gut feelings. They were neither human nor animal. A fox and a wolf, one predator and one prey could grow up as friends in a small town, always feeling the instinct to run or attack, but forever knowing they were friends.

Were humans and shifters friends, there would be no secrets between them.

"Does getting to know it affect efficiency?"

 _Not if they know your using them._

"Have you tried asking politely?"

Naruto strained his ears, listening for the signs of shock and anger. Sasuke's knee jammed the table, and Naruto heard his pulse race beneath his neck. Humans believed kindness to shifters a sin, as if giving something good to someone was a sure path to hell.

" _Ask politely?_ We're talking about shapeshifters."

"I know."

"You're mad. They'll exploit weakness where you give it. That's what a shapeshifter does. They aren't allowed _kindness."_

"I didn't realize kindness was so horrible."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, spine straightening as his mouth curved to the side. He was everything he and Karin expected. A monstrous, murderous, disgusting piece of trash.

"We're kinder to shifters than they deserve."

Something exploded within him, and he ground his teeth until they were brittle. This man—this monster—had the audacity to call captivity a kindness. He felt a scream lodge in his throat, and knew if he opened his mouth something ugly would slew. He stood up, eyes trained into the black abyss before him, and walked away.

He had to go back to work lest he be fired for absence, and Sasuke followed after him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note:** In case you forgot, and for those of you who are skipping chapter 1, Naruto introduced himself as Liam as an alias, and that's who Sasuke knows him as.

* * *

The low rumble of thunder growled above them, pushing the elevator music to the smaller regions of his mind. Sasuke pursed his lips, eyes roaming over Liam's unnaturally godawful hair. It was more chaotic than usual, spiking out uncontrollably. Sasuke cringed as Liam turned his head, exposing hair that not only spiked, but fizzed in the shape of a wing.

Liam's head tilted in Sasuke's direction from time to time, but he forced himself to look forward rather than at Sasuke. He shuffled to the side, wringing his fingers together, no doubt noticing Sasuke's chronic staring. Sasuke pushed down the edge of guilt creeping in, feeling a question living on his tongue, yet refusing to voice it. Finally, Liam had enough, and his head whipped to Sasuke, fists clenched at he pointed to his disastrous hair.

"I'm sorry, okay? My hair does this sometimes. I've tried millions of brands of gel and tried millions more shampoos for it. Nothing works. I don't gawk at that mole hidden behind your bangs, so don't gawk at my hair."

Sasuke looked back to the elevator doors. Liam had a fair point, though he did wonder when he had gotten a glimpse of his mole. Sasuke always kept it behind his bangs, and on windy days, used concealer to hide it. There were few moments when his mole was exposed to the world, and those moments were when he slept, and when he accidentally brushed the concealer away.

Sasuke closed his eyes, patiently waiting for the elevator ride to finally end. His father wanted to discuss problems with _Itachi's_ wolf with Liam, and though uninvited, Sasuke needed to stay up to date on how well Itachi fared.

 _The hell does dad want Liam for anyways? He's_ my _lab assistant._

"Never speak of my mole, and when you attend important work events, you're expected to look your best. Find a hair solution before you humiliate my family."

Liam's head snapped back to Sasuke's, eyes burning with a fire he hadn't seen in any of his assistants. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, daring him to say something, anything, that could potentially get him fired, but Liam's mouth was glued shut, and he craned his head away from Sasuke.

 _Not even going to defend yourself?_

The light's flickered. Anger forgotten, Liam looked up as Sasuke took the rail, his own gaze easing up at the lights. There was no way, _no possible way—_ Liam didn't move, not until the elevator jerked, and he crumbled. Sasuke kept his hand steady on the rail, keeping his balance intact as the elevator calmed itself.

Everything went dark.

Sasuke took out his phone, turning on the flashlight. Liam had hefted himself into a stand and was now massaging his knees. He looked at Sasuke, then around the elevator. And for one second, Sasuke thought he was going to throw his fist at the wall. His face contorted into a scowl, and nose scrunched beneath his brows. He took one step forward, breath growing louder.

"Goddammit. I knew I should have taken the stairs."

Sasuke reached out for the help button, but silence met their patience, and he tried again. Nothing. "Dammit." He muttered, "storm took out everything. This could be a few hours." Liam's jaw hung open, eyes widening into saucers. Sasuke tried not to look up at the bird's nest sprouting atop his head, and tried the help button once more. Still nothing.

"So, we're supposed to just sit here and wait? Doing nothing? The least they could have done was install a tv for these situations. You have the money."

"Money better spent on shapeshifters. Entertainment isn't our job."

Sasuke slid to the floor, resting his head on his knees. They'd have to wait, whether Liam liked it or not. If he summoned the patience, Liam might find the elevator wasn't so bad. It was quiet and filled with solitude. And provided a legit excuse for not doing their work. They'd be missing for hours, which might cause a catastrophe when it came time for Sasuke's presentation, but this was beyond his control.

"I was really looking forward to going home soon." Liam said, sliding down beside Sasuke. Sasuke sighed, closing his eyes and ready for a long nap, but Liam seemed to have other plans, as he tapped his foot impatiently on the floor, arms cross as he waited for the elevator to move again. But it wouldn't move, not for a long while.

"Why do you hate me?" Liam asked. "You wanted to test my skills, and I let you. I'm trying to do the work I applied for, but you're keeping me on paperwork. Why?"

Sasuke grunted, pulling his head up to look at him. He had been keeping Liam on minor paperwork, and why wouldn't he? Liam had proved to have sympathy for shapeshifters. Anyone who fought for rather than against _those demons_ shouldn't be near a lab where they're kept captive. Sasuke had tried telling this to his dad, but he didn't believe Sasuke, calling him a _liar_ of all things.

"I don't trust you with shapeshifters." Sasuke said. It was simple. You were either trustworthy or you weren't. Liam was not. Yesterday's conversation proved where Liam's loyalties lied, and it was not on their work or the greater good. He sided with killers, demons who gutted people until they were unrecognizable. Criminals, torturers, monsters. Liam wanted them to survive, wanted them to have freedom, to see the shapeshifters thrive in humanities world. And Sasuke couldn't let someone with those morals work on _his_ shapeshifters. Not when they were so close to learning everything there was to know about them.

"Doesn't mean you get to diminish my career. I applied for this. I was qualified. I want to do this. And you're destroying that for me."

"You don't want to do this. You have _sympathy for them."_

"I believe in better methods than what you give. But we want the same thing."

"And what is that?"

"To know. To learn. To discover."

"That's our corporation's motto."

"And I firmly believe in it."

He said it was such conviction, such pride, that Sasuke believed him. But he was still sympathetic to the wrong species, and Sasuke couldn't trust someone like that. His father would have to deal with a lab assistant that did mere paperwork, because Sasuke was never letting someone like Liam anywhere near shapeshifters, no matter how competent and valuable he proved.

Liam would have to suck it up or work somewhere else. Sasuke was not changing his mind on this one.

"Trust is amicable in this kind of work. As long as you care for them, you're not working with them." Sasuke said.

"Then I no longer care for them. Can I work with shapeshifters now?"

"Saying it doesn't make you mean it."

"But I do mean it. Shapeshifters are awful, inferior beings. I get it. I understand. If worst comes to worst, I can report to HR and make you give me the work I applied for."

Sasuke snorted. "Report me? This is my family's business. HR can't do anything."

"But your father can."

Sasuke squinted through the darkness, straightening his spine. He wouldn't dare. No one knew how low Sasuke ranked on the family and business spectrum, so there was always the fear of getting fired if anyone reported Sasuke for anything. His father would make Sasuke find suitable work for Liam else Sasuke be suspended, but no one knew that.

No one dared to threaten Sasuke before. What made Liam think he'd get away with it?

It struck Sasuke to the bone. Liam was a man with nothing to lose. He came here expecting to encounter shapeshifters first hand, and received paperwork instead. He saw that he was better fit in some other corporation, but was not willing to quit without a fight. Reporting to Sasuke's father was a gamble, not a certainty. Liam didn't know if Fugaku would enforce Sasuke to give him real work, only that it was worth a shot.

Sasuke clenched his teeth. His father would bear down his neck if Liam went and tattled. He'd been serving all his lab assistants paperwork, and all of them failed on the simplest of tasks. Liam seemed capable, but was too sympathetic to shifters. None of his assistants before dared to tattle on the work he'd given them, but they finished the task assigned and were happy to do Sasuke's bidding.

Why was Liam threatening him when no one did before?

"Is anyone good enough to work with you, Sasuke? Is anyone worthy of you?"

Heat rose within him. Sasuke ground his teeth, daring Liam to say more. Somewhere in the world was someone worth keeping around, but Sasuke had no luck in finding them. His father hired the worst of the worst, knowing they were intolerable and setting Sasuke up for mistakes. Liam was better than his others, but far from what Sasuke strived for. "Say another word and I will get you fired."

The lab assistants his dad hired were what gave Sasuke some power against his father. He could do as he wanted with him, dish out any assignment, no matter their skills or purpose. The lab assistants were under Sasuke's control, had been since the beginning, would be at the end. Liam was not taking what little power Sasuke had gained among his family, not when more power was reaching over the horizon, summoned in the form of a fox and locked in the laboratory Sasuke made for it.

He had to beg his father not to give the fox to Itachi.

"Sasuke, are you… afraid of your dad?"

"That's ridiculous, Liam."

Liam cocked his head, opening his mouth, closing it, like a fish in open water. He settled for keeping his mouth shut, staring at Sasuke with unnaturally blue eyes. They had to be contacts, because no one in the world had eyes so bright. The brightness of his phone flashlight shrouded his face in shadow, casting an eerie silhouette of a man.

"I told you to call me Kurama."

Sasuke shrugged, recalling the quick comment of Liam's preferred name. It sounded something akin to a teenager's wish to be someone else, and Sasuke thought he was joking. "Why?"

"I don't like Liam. Besides, Kurama sounds much more sophisticated, don't you think?"

It sounded less artificial than Liam. Sasuke had been avoiding speaking his name because every time he spoke it, something strange clung to his tongue, as if the name was a foreign word to him. And perhaps it was, being an American name. Kurama sounded less strange and more real, more authentic than Liam ever sounded.

But even as the name Kurama bubbled through his tongue, he still felt as if he were speaking to a false presence.

Sa suke shrugged. "Sounds like someone trying to be more than they are."

"At least it doesn't sound like someone trying to be less than they are."

"Are you seriously going to tell my dad?"

"Not if you give me the work I applied for."

Sasuke sighed. Wasn't he supposed to be Liam's boss? "I suppose." Liam—Kurama—clapped once, celebrating a small victory. Sasuke would have his eyes tailing him though, and would never allow li—Kurama— to be alone with a shifter.

At least this way Sasuke's dad was uninvolved.

"The doors are about to open." Kurama said, "wonder what we missed."

"Hardly anything." Sasuke scrunched his brow. The doors were closed, and they had no way of knowing when the operators were getting it fixed. For all anyone knew, there was no one inside the elevator. Yet Liam—no Kurama—was here claiming they were to open soon, despite having no knowledge of that.

But the lights did flicker back on, and the elevator did start moving again.

 _How the hell did he know?_


End file.
